MOORE CALLS SPECIAL SESSION TO TAP SPEAKER; OTHER ISSUES MAY COME UP: Gov. Wes Moore (D) on Tuesday called legislators back to Annapolis for a special session on Dec. 16 to appoint a new speaker of the House. But the General Assembly will not take up a redistricting debate that has divided Democratic Party leaders in the state, according to several people with knowledge of the plan. Katie Shepherd/The Washington Post.
- One order of business besides swearing in the new speaker: Lawmakers must address any of the governor’s vetoes they’d like to override. Lawmakers previously said they would vote to override Moore’s veto of a bill studying reparations for slavery and discrimination. Other vetoed bills that lawmakers could revive include measures to study energy issues and data centers. Pamela Wood and Brenda Wintrode/The Baltimore Banner.
- The presumptive front-runner for speaker is House Health and Government Operations Chair Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel), who emerged as the top candidate over the weekend after three competitors withdrew from consideration and pledged their support to her. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
OTHER STATES COULD BE ROADMAP ON SHUTTING UNLICENSED FACILITIES: Shutting down Maryland’s flourishing underground industry of unlicensed assisted living facilities is no small task, but solutions being tested in other states could provide a roadmap to change. Hawaii has enacted some of the most significant reforms in recent years, including a 2018 right-of-entry law that allows the state to enter unlicensed facilities — a rule Maryland does not have. Brooke Conrad/The Baltimore Sun.
HOUSE, SENATE WELCOME TWO NEW MEMBERS: The House and Senate welcomed two new members to their chambers Tuesday — just in time for a special legislative session next week. In ceremonies a little more than an hour apart, Kevin Anderson was sworn in to fill the vacancy created by the October death of Del. Charles Otto (R-Lower Shore), and Del. Kevin Harris (D-Charles and Prince George’s) was elevated to the seat left open when then-Sen. Michael Jackson (D-Calvert, Charles and Prince George’s) became superintendent of the Maryland State Police. Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
EASTERN SHORE COUNTIES CHALLENGE CONOWINGO DAM DEAL: After Maryland leaders and energy executives wrestled over the future of the Conowingo Dam for more than a decade they hoped they finally had a deal that everyone could get behind. But within weeks of a $341 million settlement announced in October, the Eastern Shore group Clean Chesapeake Coalition challenged the new environmental certification issued by Maryland for the dam’s owner Constellation Energy, arguing that their closed-door negotiations violated state law. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
STATE ED BOARD SETS LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES: With the 2026 legislative session fast-approaching, the Maryland State Board of Education solidified the legislative priorities that it would like to see make it to the finish line in the General Assembly next year. Broadly, the board aims to promote strategic investments in public education while resisting unfunded or prescriptive legislative curriculum mandates. Sarah Petrowich/WYPR-FM.
PUBLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENT DROPS BY 11,322 STUDENTS: State school board members learned Tuesday afternoon that the number of students enrolled in Maryland schools dropped to 880,231 this school year. It amounts to a 11,322-student loss, nearly double what local superintendents reported last month. Kristen Griffith and Talia Richman/The Baltimore Banner.
BOARD CONSIDERS ALTERING SCHOOL STAR RATING SYSTEM: The State Board of Education is considering changes to its current school rating system, that critics say does not show student growth — but a rollout may not happen for another two years. The board reviewed a report Tuesday from the Accountability Advisory Committee that recommends eliminating the current star system. William Ford/The Baltimore Banner.
UM CHANCELLOR WARNS OF ‘IRREVOCABLE DAMAGE’ TO FINANCES: Each of the last three years, University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay Perman has pleaded with Annapolis lawmakers to shield public colleges from state budget cuts. But this year, Perman gave a dire warning about what would happen if they ignore his pleas. “The pressure on our revenues are real and crippling,” he said Tuesday. “We’re worried about irrevocable damage.” Ellie Wolfe/The Baltimore Banner.
SHERIFF JENKINS SAYS HE’LL SUE IF STATE OKs BAN ON IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT COOPERATION: After failing to pass a ban on immigration enforcement cooperation last year, Maryland Democrats announced last month that they would push for a renewed bill when the General Assembly convenes in January. Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins says he’s willing to go to court if the ban passes, claiming politicians are more concerned about an agenda than protecting their citizens. Nathanael Miller/WYPR-FM.
CARROLL STUDENT CLAIMS RETALIATION FOR COMPLAINING OF TRANS BOY IN LOCKER ROOM: A Carroll County middle school student says he faced sex discrimination and retaliation from school staff after he complained when a transgender boy was allowed to use the boys’ locker room. The Defense of Freedom Institute, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C., filed a Title IX complaint Oct. 31 with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, against Carroll County Public Schools on behalf of the student’s parents. Gabriella Fine/The Carroll County Times.
FORMER HARFORD COUNCILMAN SUES COUNCIL PRES OVER REMOVAL: Dion Guthrie, former Harford County Council member, has filed a lawsuit against council President Patrick Vincenti for “illegally removing [him]” from office, according to an email from Guthrie. According to a filing with the Appellate Court of Maryland, Guthrie and Vincenti will meet to argue the case on Feb. 11, 2026. Chevall Pryce/The Baltimore Sun.
BWI USING QUICKER ID SCANNING TO MOVE PASSENGERS THROUGH GATES: CLEAR+ users can expect even less time spent in airport security thanks to new biometric eGates now available in Baltimore/Washington International Airport. Starting Wednesday, CLEAR+ members can have their identity in less than five seconds using biometric scanning at BWI before proceeding to physical screening with a Transportation Security Administration agent. Chevall Pryce/The Baltimore Sun.
B’MORE DRUG KINGPIN GETS PRESIDENTIAL CLEMENCY: A Baltimore drug kingpin who built a multimillion-dollar narcotics empire and maintained a lavish lifestyle before his arrest, was granted clemency by President Donald Trump in May, according to federal records. A Washington Post analysis published over the weekend says that the president has granted clemency to roughly 100 people accused of drug-related crimes. Todd Karpovich/The Baltimore Sun.
B’MORE COUNCIL SET TO GIVE 50-YEAR TAX BREAK TO TRADEPOINT ATLANTIC: The Baltimore County Council is poised to give a 50-year tax break next week to Tradepoint Atlantic. The global logistics center at Sparrows Point wants the tax credit for building a $1.1 billion container terminal that’s expected to create more than eight thousand jobs. John Lee/WYPR-FM.
MO CO’s ONLY PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL FACES LOSS OF CHARTER: Just months after opening, MECCA Business Learning Institute, Montgomery County’s only public charter school, is facing the revocation of its charter for a number of issues, including violation of special education laws, failure to implement required corrective actions and the release of private student information to the media. Ashlyn Campbell/Bethesda Today.
Ah yes a Special Session, Gotta love that waste of time and money. Only for the voting of new speaker and a couple of overridden vetoes. Not going to be used for redistricting? I’ll believe it when I see it, they always do something extra in these sessions that they were not intended for, perhaps a new tax or fee for the upcoming impending doom of our budget.
Less students huh? That means the budget for schools should go down next year , correct? Of course it won’t.
Drug King Pin getting released by Trump, I swear nothing makes sense with this man, I guess he views it as an unfair sentence compared to others, fair enough, but its contradictory to him killing suspected drug pushers in the Pacific.